Oregon Ducks 5-Star Recruit Anthony 'Tank' Jones Estimated NIL Earnings Revealed

NIL Numbers For Jones

Alabama was putting up a strong fight for Jones, but Lanning and the Ducks were able to pull the strings to earn one of the top recruits in the nation. When in a close battle for a commitment, Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals likely played a role.

“Certainly, you don’t win this kind of recruiting battle without being heavily armed on the NIL front,” Rivals VP of Recruiting Steve Wilftong said. “I think Anthony ‘Tank’ Jones is someone that is getting a deal worth over $1 million for his first season.”

“Oregon, Texas A&M, and Alabama all battled on that front. And then where Oregon’s at as a program. He also talked to me about this recruiting class and said, ‘I think we can get Oregon closer to that first national championship that they covet.”

While NIL was likely not the sole reason for Jones’ commitments, with Lanning and the Ducks’ staff building a strong relationship with the five-star recruit, it is still believed to have played a role in his commitment. 

“This is where he wanted to go, and I think Oregon then had to check the box from an NIL front, and they were able to do that,” Wiltfong continued.

In Jones’ 2024 junior season, he racked up 84 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, and 16 sacks. With Oregon’s history under Lanning, the Ducks have developed talented defensive linemen, including recent first-round draft pick Derrick Harmon. With Jones’ talent, he could become a difference maker right away with the Ducks. 

Oregon Class of 2026 Momentum

With Jones, the Oregon Ducks are up to 17 commits, five of whom are five-star recruits. With the success in recruiting, the Ducks rose in the recruiting rankings for the class of 2026. The program now ranks No. 3 in the nation and No. 2 in the Big Ten, per Rivals.

Although Oregon has more five-star recruits than the USC Trojans and Georgia Bulldogs, the two programs have over 30 commits, with at least 20 being four-star recruits. The quantity of commitments is likely the reason Oregon is below USC and Georgia.

In addition to Jones, the five-star recruits headed to Eugene from the class of 2026 are tight end Kendre Harrison, safety Jett Washington, defensive back Davon Benjamin, and offensive tackle Immanuel Iheanacho. If all five sign, it will break the program record for the most five-stars in one recruiting class.

With the elite talent Lanning and the Ducks are bringing in, Oregon is on track to maintain being one of the nation’s top programs.

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